SAN DIEGO (KSWB) — It’s National Park Week and the National Park Service waived entrance fees to kick off the celebrations on Sunday.
While the free entrance day has already come and gone, there are a few other days that National Park visitors will be able to get in without cracking open their wallets.
There are three more days this year after last Sunday’s kick off event to National Park Week that will be entrance-fee free across the country’s over 400 parks this year.
The next free entrance day will be on August 4, in honor of the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act.
The Act, which passed in 2020, put funds towards expanding recreation opportunities at public lands, as well as established a fund focused on preservation called the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund.
After August 4, there will be two more free entrance days: National Public Lands Day on September 23 and Veterans Day on November 11.
National Public Lands Day, according to the National Park Service, is the nation’s largest single-day volunteer effort, celebrating environmental stewardship and the preservation of public lands — from National Parks to neighborhood urban, green spaces.
“National parks are really amazing places and we want everyone to experience them,” National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said in a press release on the free days.
National Parks participating in the free entrance days this year include:
- Cabrillo National Monument
- Death Valley National Park
- Joshua Tree National Park
- Lassen Volcanic National Park
- Lava Beds National Park
- Muir Woods National Park
- Pinnacles National Park
- San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
- Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
- Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
- Yosemite National Park
The fee waiver for free-days does not cover amenity or user fees, according to the National Park Service. This includes camping, boat launches, transportation or special tours.
Any outdoor enthusiasts looking to explore federal park lands on regular days could still get a discount with a National Park Service annual pass.
The $80 “America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass” allows unlimited entrance to over 2,000 recreation areas for those who hold it, including national parks that normally charge entrance fees.
Information can be found on the passes and how to purchase them can be found on the National Park Service website.
National Park Week runs until Sunday, April 30 this year. National Park Service parks, programs and partners will be hosting events and activities all week, according to the federal department.
Only about 100 of the country’s over 400 parks require an entrance fee for visitors, according to the National Park Service. Normal entrance fees vary from park to park, ranging from $5 to $35.
